


Recalibration

by appending_fic



Series: Valuation [3]
Category: Buddy Thunderstruck (Cartoon)
Genre: Assumptions, Buddy's Heart is in the Right Place, Communication, Engagement, Even if He Had No Idea What He Was Doing, M/M, Party, asexuality mention, discussions about consent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 11:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13703901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/appending_fic/pseuds/appending_fic
Summary: It hasn't sunk in what might change about their relationship now that they're reading the same book, even if they aren't quite on the same page yet.





	Recalibration

**Author's Note:**

> I have very little to say, because writing drains most of my other focus, so here's more fic. Enjoy!

Buddy took a deep breath, squeezed Darnell's hand, and kicked the door of the Concho Bolo open.

"Guess who's getting married?" There was a squeal from Mr. Weaselbrat and a drop in the noise level as everyone turned to look at them. "If you guessed Greasepit's hometown hero Buddy Thunderstruck, you are right!"

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh."

"Hooray," Muncie drawled as she wandered past. "We already went through this in high school, Buddy, so unless you're dumping Darnell for a track bunny-"

"I would never!" Buddy trailed after Muncie as she wove her way through the tables, offering casual waves and thanks to the congratulations the patrons gave him. "I think you should apologize to Darnell here for implying his pre-husband would do something so hurtful."

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Weaselbrat popped up in front of Buddy; he stopped, long used to keeping one eye out for possible unexpected intrusions from his biggest fan, but Darnell bumped into his back. "What about your other marriage? Are you a poly- um, poly- darn, the word's on the tip of my tongue."

Buddy clapped Mr. Weaselbrat on the back. "This dog is a one-ferret man, my friend. As it turns out, Darnell and I have different ideas about what constitutes a marriage, so we are planning to do things by the book, as they say." 

He'd been grinning since he walked in, but he offered a glance to Darnell, who looked a little dazed. Because he could not abide Darnell missing his own engagement party, Buddy nudged his pre-husband (there was another word there. Was betrothed right, or was that what you called a Victorian woman whose father had sold her to you for $20 and a cow? He wondered if there was a French word like fiancée that you could use for a dude.) and offered a slightly less intense smile. Darnell smiled back, which Buddy accepted as a good sign.

"Hey, who wants to turn this into a real party? Next round's on me!"

The answering roar was deafening.

Buddy would later rank this party among the best he'd been to. Even when celebrating one of their wins, Darnell usually ended up pushed to the side by Buddy's admirers, but this being both of their moments, Buddy kept a tight grip on Darnell's hand. Now when he wanted to see Darnell, or make a witty quip to him, Buddy didn't have to peer around the Bolo; he could just tug at their joined hands.

And then a miracle happened. Someone (Buddy would bet on Mr. Weaselbrat, but the voice sounded unnervingly like Tex Jr.) began chanting, "Kiss. Kiss. Kiss!"

Darnell ducked his head, cheeks reddening. But his eyes flicked to Buddy's mouth, biting his lip in a perfect reproduction of an expression Buddy hadn't seen since high school, when he'd been almost positive Darnell had a crush on him.

"What do you say, Darnell? Do you want to give them a show?"

Darnell's anxious expression smoothed out. "Sort of a preview to the main event?"

"Exactly! Alright, folks, you asked for a kiss, and Buddy Thunderstruck has never been one to disappoint his-"

Darnell leaned in and caught Buddy's lips with his own, interrupting an otherwise excellent speech. 

And Buddy might have put a stop to that except for three reasons.

First, Darnell's ideas were usually just as likely as to be awesome as Buddy's, so Buddy tried not to discourage him when he took initiative.

Second, he didn't want to fight in public with Darnell, especially when they were supposed to be the model of engaged bliss.

Third, and this probably was the most important reason, Darnell was kissing him. It was hardly a lifelong dream; up until tonight, Buddy was certain he had everything he needed out of life. But not needing it didn't mean he didn't recognize the awesomeness of gentle pressure against his lips, Darnell's hand cupped around the back of his neck. It was only a brief kiss, suitable for the general public, but it was a revelation.

As Darnell pulled away, someone squeezed Buddy's butt; he was halfway into turning to yell at whoever had done it when he saw Darnell smirking. Shock gave way to a dawning realization. Buddy had not been getting kissed because Darnell was uninterested in intimacy, as Buddy had concluded. _He didn't know he was allowed_. Buddy's stomach fluttered at the thought, able to give Darnell only a distracted smile when Darnell tilted his head curiously at Buddy.

A minute later, Darnell had somehow herded the two of them away from the crowd (into the pantry, so Muncie must have been more happy for them than she let on). His hands had drifted to Buddy's hips, and Buddy was pretty sure he was hyperventilating.

"Buddy?"

"You want to kiss me," Buddy said.

Darnell smiled, wide and sort of uncontrolled. "Yeah?"

"You want to grab my butt."

"I…" Darnell's cheeks darkened, and he ducked his head. "It's a nice butt."

Buddy grabbed Darnell's shoulders and waited until they were eye-to-eye. " _What else do you want to do_?"

"I don't...have a list, Buddy."

"We need a list. A Maybe Pile. A 'terrible idea' bulletin board."

"What?" Darnell's entire face was red now. "W - we can't just write down a - all the stuff I'd want to do."

"Yeah, and how else am I going to know how to have an awesome time with you? Terrible ideas are fine if we're just risking our well-being, but not when I want you to feel good."

"I suppose I can go along with that, as long as this goes both ways."

"Wait, what?"

"You don't think I'd want to know what _you're_ into?"

Okay, when Darnell put it _that_ way…

"Okay, here's the plan: we ditch this party, get back home, and start on these lists."

Darnell stepped right up into Buddy's space and kissed his nose. "I've got a better idea. We go out there, share a round of wings with our friends, and go to bed."

For all that he'd never kissed, never pressed Darnell for things he didn't appear to want (and apparently not talking to Darnell about his feelings was one of Buddy's _terrible_ ideas, given how off track his assumptions had been), Buddy had never been able to resist the urge to touch, to cuddle, to, when he could manage it, drowse while leaning against Darnell. So while the thought of what they could get up to one they'd figured each other out was enticing, the opportunity to share a bed, where Buddy would be allowed to touch, maybe even _encouraged_ to cuddle, was more immediately enticing.

Of course, all that depended on the answer to one question.

"The uh, same bed?"

"It seems a shame to put half that bunk bed to waste." Darnell was actually smirking, though, sending Buddy's stomach flipping again.

"If you promise to let me share your bunk, I will come up with three awesome ideas for the top bunk before the night is out."

"Alright, we'll put that in the maybe pile."

Muncie took that moment to push open the door to the pantry, hand over her eyes.

"I'm going to let it slide this once, but you two better not make a habit of making out in here."

"I would _never_ defile the sanctity of a food storage area!"

"Just _yesterday_ you wanted to bathe in my hot wing sauce."

"In the comfort of my own home, Muncie. If I'm going to be stripping down for a nice sauce soak, I'm not doing it where anyone could walk in."

"Okay, out!" Muncie shoved Buddy and, by extension, Darnell out into the main room, where Buddy's absence had not made a noticeable decline in the party's energy. And for the first time in a while, Buddy didn't feel anxious at the thought that he wasn't the center of the party. He had something else to look forward to (he may have convinced Darnell to leave before that round of hot wings, not even remotely sorry at leaving the rest of Greasepit to celebrate without him).

It only really struck him the next morning, when he woke up all but wrapped around Darnell, that if he played his cards right, this was going to be how things were like all the time.

This was the _best day ever_.


End file.
